In a wide-ranging interview with ROLLING STONE, DC Studios co-head honcho James Gunn was asked about the status and future of Batman at Warner Bros./DC Studios. Here are the questions and his Bat-answers, which are frankly interesting as well as eyebrow-raising…
RS: You once said that the fact that Robert Pattinson’s Batman is not in this universe was Matt Reeves’ choice. Does that mean if it were up to you, you would’ve just pulled that into your universe?
It would be a consideration. We’d have to think about it. We’d have to think about it. It is not like we’ve never discussed it.
MY TAKE: Of course, they had to think about it and discuss the possibility. The bottom line is that 1) Matt Reeves is against it (and I don’t blame him because this iteration of Batman on film is his) and 2) This Batman would not fit in a world where metahumans have existed for over 300 years.
RS: It’s interesting, your answer is much more present tense than I expected. As if it’s an ongoing possibility.
No, I don’t — Batman’s my biggest issue in all of DC right now, personally. And it’s not — I’m not writing Batman, but I am working with the writer of Batman and trying to get it right, because he’s incredibly important to DC, as is Wonder Woman. So outside of the stuff that I’m doing in the projects that are actively going, our two priorities are finishing our Wonder Woman and our Batman scripts.
MY TAKE: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the success of THE BATMAN and THE PENGUIN are “inconvenient successes” for WB/DC Studios…and Gunn. It would be dumb to cancel Reeves’ THE BATMAN EPIC CRIME SAGA because of the aforementioned success they have had with it so far. So yeah, it’s an issue for WB, DCS, and Gunn because having 2 live-action Batmans on film at the same time is not a good idea. They may have to do it, but I’m sure that it’s not preferred.
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In the broadest sense, what needs to be figured out to make those two properties work — Batman in this universe?
Batman has to have a reason for existing, right? So Batman can’t just be “Oh, we’re making a Batman movie because Batman’s the biggest character in all of Warner Bros.,” which he is. But because there’s a need for him in the DCU and a need that he’s not exactly the same as Matt’s Batman. But yet he’s not a campy Batman. I’m not interested in that. I’m not interested in a funny, campy Batman, really. So we’re dealing with that. I think I have a way in, by the way. I think I really know what it’s — I just am dealing with the writer to make sure that we can make it a reality.
MY TAKE: I get there’s a “need” for Batman to be in Gunn’s new DCU, but why can’t he wait? If Gunn’s SUPERMAN is a big hit, let The Man of Steel shoulder the load for a while. And when Matt Reeves is done with the SAGA, introduce the new DCU Batman. But it’s Batman, and I’m sure there’s pressure on Gunn to include him in the DCU yesterday.
If the deck isn’t stacked against this new DCU enough, finding a Batman that works will be a tough task. From the Burton films to Schumacher to THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY and now THE BATMAN EPIC CRIME SAGA, how are you going to do something different? And hell, I’m not even counting the DCEU version as played by Ben Affleck because he never appeared in a solo film. Gunn said as much when he was asked about Wonder Woman…
Wonder Woman I think is actually easier for me [than Batman], because there haven’t been so many infinite portrayals of Wonder Woman — definitely not in movies, but really anywhere — that there have been of Batman. Every single Batman story has been told. It seems like half the comics that have come out of DC over the past 30 years have Batman in them. He’s the most famous superhero in the world and the most popular superhero in the world. And people love him because he’s interesting, but also having so much of him out there can also make him boring. So how do you create that property that’s fun to watch?
I really should clear this up. Is there still a non-zero chance that Matt Reeves’ Batman will get sucked into your universe?
[Long pause.] I would never say zero, because you just never know. But it’s not likely. It’s not likely at all. I’ll also say Batman Part II is not canceled. That’s the other thing I hear all the time — that Batman Part II is canceled. It’s not canceled. We don’t have a script. Matt’s slow. Let him take his time. Let him do what he’s doing. God, people are mean. Let him do his thing, man.
MY TAKE: I bet James Gunn really, Really, REALLY would prefer it if Matt Reeves’ Batman, Robert Pattinson, would be incorporated into the DCU. And I get why: It would make things a whole lot easier. But Reeves doesn’t want that, just like Christopher Nolan didn’t want his version of Batman on film to not only continue on without him, but be part of a shared cinematic universe. Gunn, quite obviously, respects Matt Reeves enough to adhere to his wishes. Plus, why in the hell would Warner Bros. and DC Studios want to piss off Reeves? They need filmmakers of his caliber to be part of Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios. In fact, they need him more than he needs them.
And yes, people are mean…and ignorant. Indeed, let Matt Reeves do his thing, man.
CLICK HERE for the full interview. It’s totally worth a read, especially if you’re a fan of Gunn and are very much interested in his new DCU. – Bill “Jett” Ramey
